'African Julius Caesar'

Like a military coup. Like corrupt political leaders. Caesar is an African tyrant assassinated by his rivals. The 400-year-old plays of William Shakespeare has been reinterpreted and re-envisioned to the African mentality. Royal Shakespeare Company produced a Julius Caesar set in contemporary Africa that was a hit at the World Shakespeare Festival.

I love this interpretation of Shakespeare Caeser. The African drums by Nigerian Akintayo Akinbode, the British-African dialect, the costumes and concept. In fact, the play is very beautiful and thrilling. One of the best plays in decades.

Gregory Doran, the artistic director of Caeser, first got the idea of doing an African Julius Caesar when he met Nelson Mandela several years ago. Mandela quoted lines from Julius Caesar

Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard.
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.

Long live Caesar! An African Caeser.

Julius Caeser will make its American premiere later this year in theaters. The RSC's "Julius Caesar" plays at the Brooklyn Academy of Music through April 28th. It then moves to the Southern Theater in Columbus, Ohio, at the beginning of May.

Designer Michael Vale has wisely crafted a specifically nonspecific world: The costumes on this all-black cast represent a plethora of styles found on the African continent. Theo Ogundipe plays the soothsayer.
Nri and Joseph as Cassius and Brutus. Both infuse their African dialect with shades of boarding school-bred British